DECEMBER 2016 ABOUT THE AUTHORS VICTORIA TETYORA, Innovation by Design: Conducting a Border- Crossing Time-Release Study in Belarus Private Sector Specialist, joined IFC in 2008. She works with several trade and competitive- ness projects in Europe and Central Asia, leading knowledge- In 2015, the World Bank and IFC conducted a border-crossing time-release management and stakeholder- relations activities. study (TRS) at three points on the Belarus border. The joint team customized IRINA SHEMSHENYA, a standard survey methodology to gather a wider range of data as well as to Private Sector Specialist, joined IFC in 2004 and leads the Trade overcome time and other resource constraints. This SmartLesson describes Logistics component of the Belarus National Quality the team’s efforts to fit the TRS to the particular context in Belarus to ensure Infrastructure (NQI) and Business Regulation project. She also accurate and actionable data. coordinates activities supporting the Belarus NQI system, including improving the public-private BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to measure dialogue on technical regulations, the interval between arrival of trucks at market surveillance, and accreditation systems to enhance Belarus is a landlocked Eastern Euro- a border-crossing point (BCP) and their the competitiveness of Belarus pean nation that shares borders with businesses. release into the entry country—and how five other countries: Russia, Ukraine, Po- that interval might be broken down into ALIAKSANDR land, Lithuania, and Latvia. The country smaller intervals, according to the con- ABRASHKEVICH, Research and Policy Analyst, serves as an important trade and transit trols undertaken by border agencies, started working for IFC as a point between Europe and the Eurasia and their duration. Results from the consultant in 2009. He leads research activities of the Belarus Economic Union (EEU). To be sufficient- study will serve as a baseline of border NQI and Business Regulation ly competitive in attracting companies agency performance, and a follow-up project. trading between Europe and the EEU, TRS will occur once the modernization The authors would like to acknowledge contributions to Belarus needs to ensure that its cross- of the Minsk-Grodno transit corridor is this SmartLesson by Violane border processes are highly efficient. complete. The Investment Climate proj- Konar-Leacy, Clayton Kerswell, Gagik Gabrielyan, Heinz ect has already begun using the results Strubenhoff, and Irina The World Bank Group has been assisting of the study to advise the government Niederberger (Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice). the government of Belarus in improving of Belarus on necessary changes to bor- its strategic position via its Transit Cor- der-crossing regulations. (See Figure 1.) APPROVING MANAGER Lisa Kaestner, Practice Manager, ridor Improvement project (since May Trade and Competitiveness Global 2015), which supports modernization of Practice, Europe and Central Asia. LESSONS LEARNED the M6 Minsk-Grodno motorway transit corridor, and via an IFC Investment Cli- Lesson 1: A methodology is just a mate advisory project (since June 2014) tool—adjust and adapt it to suit to streamline regulatory procedures your context and goal. and facilitate trade. Under the auspices of both projects, a border-crossing TRS1 The World Bank Group team, in coop- was launched at key crossing points on eration with the Belarus State Customs both sides of the Belarus borders with Committee and Belarus State Univer- Poland and with Lithuania. sity’s Center for Sociological and Po- litical Research (a project contractor), 1 A TRS is a monitoring and research tool that designed a study methodology based measures different aspects of operational border- on Laufzettel’s survey (see Method 1 management procedures related to the processing of goods at international borders and inland clearance in Box 1) but incorporating additional terminals. data-gathering functions: the placing SMARTLESSONS — DECEMBER 2016 1 Figure 1: Observation and Data Collection at BCPs Location of observers at the BCP ‘Berestovitsa’ (inbound flow): of observers at BCPs and conducting a brief survey These adjustments to the standard methodology with drivers. The study was thus designed to enable worked well for the purpose of this study. They yield- information-gathering from a three-dimensional per- ed additional data sets that could not have been ob- spective—weekends versus weekdays, two sides of tained by just using a driver’s checklist. These adapta- each BCP, and the incorporation of nearby locations tions enabled time- and cost-effective completion of in Lithuania and Poland as well as Belarus—to pro- the exercise as well as subsequent initiatives involving vide a comprehensive, grounded, and realistic picture the Belarus Customs Committee. Moreover, the more of how trucks move across three BCPs (two on the diversified set of data offered the team more avenues to pursue reforms in trade logistics and border man- Belarusian-Polish border, and one on the Belarusian agement. Lithuanian border). The study recorded the waiting time before enter- Lesson 2: The devil is in the details; there are ing a BCP and the time spent in actually crossing no shortcuts to success. during peak and off-peak times of the week. The Thorough preparation was critical to successful imple- study also aimed to capture additional border-man- mentation of the study, especially in view of the team’s agement procedures, such as the duration of the intention to cover weekends and weekdays, both sides physical examination, sampling procedures, and the of a BCP, and two neighboring countries in addition to time between the arrival of the truck in the exami- Belarus. The preparation phase was the most time con- nation zone and the start of the actual examination. suming and demanding, in part because of the number (See Box 1.) Separate checklists and datasheets were of moving parts involved in carrying out the exercise: completed for outbound (Belarus into the European extensive communication, sometimes hourly, between Union) and inbound (from the European Union into study participants, which comprised the Customs Com- Belarus) commercial truck flows. mittee, the contractor, border-crossing personnel, the 2 SMARTLESSONS — DECEMBER 2016 contractor immediately informed the rest Box 1. Changes to the Methodology Made by the Belarus Team of the observers involved in the study The methodology of the Belarus TRS consisted of the following three about the oversight and instructed them data-gathering methods: to synchronize watches with BCP person- • Method 1: A short checklist given by the observer to the driver nel before the start of any fieldwork. on entering a border-crossing point. At each stage of the crossing procedure, the driver gives the checklist to the BCP employee, Another crucial action in the prepara- who makes appropriate records (usually start and end times of the tion process was the need to physically control activities) and returns it to the driver, who hands back the visit each BCP and assess its location, filled-in checklist to the observer or border guard at the border infrastructure, and layout at the time exit. of methodology development. The vari- ous data-gathering methods required This is the standard TRS method based on the Laufzettel ap- the use of many observers, which is not proach. The Belarus Customs Committee uses it for periodic checks. The Belarus team augmented the methodology to provide something the team could afford. Con- added value by using the Customs Committee’s questionnaire as sequently, during the preparation pro- a starting point for developing a checklist for the study that would cess, the team visited each BCP to check collect additional data. its design and layout for optimal place- ment of a limited number of observers. • Method 2: A specially developed datasheet used by observers placed at specific positions within the BCP to track the types and Site visits also allowed identification of number of controls the truck goes through and their duration. other factors with the potential to dis- Each observer oversees a particular stage of the border-crossing tort study findings, such as when and process (weighing, putting on electronic queue) and uses the datasheet to record truck movements. where drivers take rest or meal breaks, which increase transit times. They also • Method 3: One-question interaction with the driver. The team enabled establishment of rapport with added this method to explore the queuing process and how it border personnel, an advantage in se- influences the overall border-crossing process (how long drivers curing buy-in and eliciting advice during have to wait before entering the BCP). To overcome the unpre- the study’s implementation. dictability of queue lengths and the frequency and speed with which they can change within a short time frame, the team dou- ble-tasked the first observer (standing at the entry point of the Lesson 3: Treat contractors as BCP), getting him or her to question the drivers, as they enter the equal partners in the process. BCP, on how much time they have spent waiting in the queue. Their knowledge and expertise The team defined queuing time as from the driver’s arrival at the are crucial. queue of trucks until the first control procedure at the BCP. (Note: Allowing strangers extended access to “Release” time may reflect only one component of the “clear- ance” process, requiring measurement at various sites/times.) border security and customs points, in- ternal documentation, and other non- public information presents a security embassies of Poland and Lithuania, and the inspec- risk. The team took great care in choos- tion agencies placed on the border (for example, the ing a contractor and consulted with the Customs veterinary and phytosanitary agencies). Also critical Committee before selecting Belarus State University’s were detailed assessments of border-crossing configu- Center for Sociological and Political Research through rations, site visits, and training to enable observers to an open competitive process. Although the team had carry out their responsibilities. successfully worked with the Center before on several investment-climate surveys, this study had different One detail that the team overlooked in its preparation technical, methodological, political, and security re- was the need to synchronize the watches of observers quirements. with the time registered in the computer network used by BCP employees, given that in a time-based study, The team saw the contractor as a partner in the en- especially one tracking five- or ten-minute processes, deavor—the “brains” that would develop and apply even seconds are significant. This discrepancy was dis- the methodology. The Center also brought genuine covered after the first day of fieldwork, when the data interest in the work as a way to develop its institu- from the first filled-in checklists and datasheets were tional knowledge and add a new research compe- cross-checked by the research coordinator. The study’s tence to its portfolio. The team had a limited budget SMARTLESSONS — DECEMBER 2016 3 and yet wanted to complete a more complex study win for the project and the university, as noted in Les- than a typical TRS, but the Center was sufficient- son 3 above. ly price competitive to complete the study within budget. Industry was represented by the local hauler associa- tion, which influenced the methodology of the study Given the lack of experience with time-release studies by providing industry knowledge. The association’s in the Belarus market, the contractor was expected to advice on peak loads and general bottlenecks in the be willing to take an immersive approach, be ready border-crossing process were essential in designing to learn, and experiment “on the fly.” The following the study. For instance, the team chose Tuesdays, Sat- were the Center’s key value additions to the process: urdays, and Sundays to incorporate peak, medium- peak, and off-peak times into the study, based on the • Effective organization and management of the association’s advice. entire process of conducting the study. This in- volved 1) selection of observers, their training, The public sector was represented by the State Cus- monitoring, and quality check of their perfor- toms Committee of Belarus, the Border Guard Service, mance, and 2) pilot testing of the study to check and other relevant technical inspections involved in how the process worked and make adjustments border-crossing control, such as sanitary and quar- to the methodology and process. The Center pi- antine, veterinary, and phytosanitary. Moreover, the loted the study at the smallest border-crossing Customs Committee provided all necessary informa- point before moving to a larger one. tion, including details on layouts of BCPs and its own methodology for measuring release times. The em- • Successful development of the methodology for bassies of Poland and Lithuania were fully aware of data gathering (together with the project team). and involved in the study. Through these embassies, the team worked with the Customs and Border Guard • Successful development of approaches to data Services of Poland and Lithuania to implement the analysis. The Center was instrumental in propos- study. ing ways of aggregating various types of data received from three different sources into one Such collaboration between government, industry, database for further analysis. The Center’s re- and academia were critical success factors. Each sec- search and scientific background was valuable, tor brought its own expertise and organization, and offering the most appropriate solution for docu- the blend of expertise and resources meant prob- menting the aggregated data from different lems were anticipated and dealt with rather than sources. stumbled upon. For example, one day on the Polish side of the border, customs officials refused to allow Lesson 4: A “triple helix”2 coalition of the nominated observer to do his job. A few quick academia, industry, and government was calls between triple-helix partners soon removed the obstacle, and work resumed. The positive collabora- indispensable to carrying out the TRS. tion opened chains of communication and access to The Belarus team effectively applied the triple-helix hierarchy and command that, in a non-collaborative collaboration model of “academia-industry-govern- environment, would have brought the whole study ment” to design and perform the study, coordinating to a halt. this collaboration at national (government agencies, customs authorities, academia, and the private sec- Lesson 5: Selecting the unique identifier of tor) and international (customs offices and the em- a vehicle and “cleaning” data prevented bassies of Poland and Lithuania) levels. The team’s complications and discrepancies in data goal was to ensure that each party involved in the analysis. process knew its role and had been properly briefed about the progress and next steps. Using multiple sources of data collection entailed thorough consideration of the process of bringing Academia was represented by the Center for Socio- data together and preparing them for analysis. Since logical and Political Research of the local university movements of a particular truck at the BCP were contracted to design and carry out the study—a win- recorded in up to eight separate data sources, the team needed a meaningful way to match records 2 http://triplehelix.stanford.edu/3helix_concept from those sources. In other words, the team needed 4 SMARTLESSONS — DECEMBER 2016 to find an attribute suitable for unique administrative steps. In fact, the team identification of each observed truck. did observe that agencies do not co- If every observer completed a required ordinate as well as possible, and that field with the truck’s identifying attri- there is some duplication of roles. bute before making a new record, then the data contained in this field could be The study also confirmed that some used to match the records from multiple of the controls currently performed at sources. The Belarus team selected vehi- the border can be moved inland with- cle license plates as a unique identifier. out compromising the integrity of the A relational database was created with control process. This is an important data from separate documents (check- complement to the Belarus Investment lists, datasheets) linked to the truck’s Climate project’s other work streams license-plate number. focused on risk management and market surveillance. The World Bank’s However, there was still scope for human Transport project also obtained insights error in the form of “typos” in recording into better design of the border-cross- the license plates. The contractor provid- ing infrastructure. ed a staffer to cross-check, double-check, and clean the data and make it easier for Yet there also were surprises in the re- the team to conduct its analysis. sults. The study suggested that a num- ber of other factors influence traffic and cause delays, such as Germany’s CONCLUSION ban on truck movement during week- The results of the study were captured ends, or that fuel can be brought duty- in the joint action plan signed by the free into the EU via Lithuania but not project team and the Customs Commit- via Poland. To avoid duty costs, truck tee. The project has also led to improved operators fill up their tanks with the interagency coordination at the Customs cheaper fuel in Belarus and take a lon- agency and enhancements to the risk- ger route through Lithuania, rather based system. There are plans to hold than proceeding directly from Belarus a joint event to discuss how to improve to Poland. The team believes that, in the exchange of customs data among Po- addition to helping improve the border land, Lithuania, and Belarus. management process in Belarus, the study will help the relevant countries The team’s initial assumption when de- examine these issues and consider their signing the study was that delays in time- environmental and economic costs. release procedures would primarily be due to bottlenecks related to procedural The methodology developed by the Be- constraints, such as onerous paperwork, larus team is now informing the design DISCLAIMER poor transparency and service delivery of similar studies in the Balkans and SmartLessons is an awards on the part of BCP staff, or redundant Central Asia. program to share lessons learned in development-oriented advisory services and investment operations. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of IFC or its partner organizations, the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they represent. IFC does not assume any responsibility for the completeness or accuracy of the information contained in this document. Please see the terms and conditions at www.ifc.org/ smartlessons or contact the program at smartlessons@ifc.org. SMARTLESSONS — DECEMBER 2016 5